The Fisker Karma

The Fisker Karma is, I think, one of the best looking cars (electric or otherwise) currently in development. Originally revealed on the 14 January 2008 at the North American International Auto Show the Fisker was a sensation and heralded the arrival of what is almost certainly to be one of the big names in electric vehicle production. The cars are designed by Henrik Fisker, who used to work at Aston Martin and ran design for the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage, the similar design cues are relatively clear. The Karma uses an innovative drive system from Quantum Technologies called Q-Drive technology, in essence it is made up of a 4 cylinder gasoline generator that supplies power to the all electric drive system, the Karma has the option to plug in and recharge so the gasoline generator is not a compulsory option, in fact if you choose to have the roof top solar panel installed the car could theoretically operate completely off-grid (although with a somewhat limited range).

Performance figures are;

0-60mph – 5.8 seconds

Top Speed – 125 mph

Range – 300 miles

Economy – 67 mpg (when using onboard power generation)

Production is currently underway in Finland with an estimated annual capacity for 15,000 vehicles per year by 2011. To place an order for yours head over to Fisker Automotive